Tiny Dancer
by osaka-jazzed
Summary: The story of what REALLY happens to the piano in Outo. Oneshot; not FaixSakura.


Piano

"_What's that?" said Sakura, walking in the door with a puzzled look on her face._

"_It's a piano, you play music on it!" Shouts Mokona excitedly, jumping up and down, it's apron flapping . "Play it Fai, play!"_

"_Alright," I said, and took a seat at the bench. I hesitate a moment, then press a key at random as the sweet sound fills my ears. I just put on an embarrassed smile, and pretend that I have no idea how to work this thing. _

"_Okay, so I'm not a professional musician..." I say. Sakura and Mokona shoot me disappointed looks and go back to washing dishes. Maybe I'm not a professional musician; but I could be. And I know how to do it._

_It just takes a little magic..._

After everyone had long since went off to bed, Fai quietly opened the door and, with softest footsteps, walked by the sleeping ninja . He gently eased himself onto the polished wooden banister, and slid downstairs without a sound.

In a moonlit patch of floor stood the reason Fai was awake at this ungodly hour, sliding past his companions on a banister: a piano.

He ran his hand across the shiny black top, Mokona's voice running through his head.

"It's a piano. You play music on it!"

Tentatively he touched one of the cold, white keys. A soft sound floated to Fai's ears, and he pressed the next one. And the next one. And the next one. There was still no sound to be heard from upstairs.

He took a deep breath and began to play notes, entire scales, hitting whatever keys struck his fancy.

Fai remembered this music thing now. In Hanshin Republic, Sorata had shown him something called a radio, which played beautiful sounds. He remembered one song very clearly, and now a bit more used to the sound of the contraption, tried to repeat it on the piano.

It took several tries, but Fai soon found that the piano had an element of magic to it, weaving all those notes together into a picture that played through his mind. His fingers flew across the keys as he did something that he himself didn't really expect. He started to sing.

Sakura tossed and turned in her bed as she struggled to go back to sleep. This tended to be the problem with falling asleep at random points during the day; you pay for it when it's actually dark outside. Deciding that this might go down better with some warm milk, she heaved herself out of bed. Careful not to wake the others, she silently crossed the landing. And froze. Because at sometime past the chimes of midnight, Fai was sitting in a pool of moonlight, by himself, playing the piano. And he was playing it really well!

She felt shocked and a bit deceived, which left no guilt for spying on Fai. (Who had his eyes closed and hadn't yet noticed her) He seemed really focused as his hands danced up and down the keys. Then softly, almost so softly she couldn't hear it, he started to sing. Sakura leaned forward from her hiding place slightly to catch the words which seemed barely more than a whisper.

_  
"Blue jean baby, _

_L.A. lady; seamstress for the band  
Pretty eyed, _

_pirate smile; you'll marry a music man...  
Ballerina, _

_you must have seen her, dancing in the sand...  
And now she's in me, _

_always with me, tiny dancer in my hand..._

Fai squeezed his eyes shut just a little bit at that last part. It reminded him of the other fai, the real fai, back from when he'd been Yuui. He gave a small flinch. That memory was still acidic to him. __

Jesus freaks, 

_out in the street; Handing tickets out for God  
Turning back,_

_she just laughs; The boulevard is not that bad_

The last two lines are delivered with a little bit more confidence from Fai. For some reason this verse reminds him of Yuuko. The thought makes him smile, so he sings the next verse a bit louder.__

Piano man he makes his stand  
In the auditorium  
Looking on she sings the songs  
The words she knows the tune she hums  


Sakura hears his voice raise just slightly. It's a pretty voice she thinks, and one that should be used more often. It' s a beautiful, steady voice, like Fai's piano playing. The piano is a bit louder now too, but Sakura stopped caring when Fai started singing. By now she's totally engrossed in the performance. The lyrics take on a more desolate tone, and she watches him continue to play, intrigued.

_  
But oh how it feels so real  
Lying here with no one near  
Only you and you can hear me  
When I say softly... slowly..._

Fai doesn't put his heart into much, he's had trouble with that sort of thing in the past. But now as he sits at the piano, the music grows louder, his voice grows louder, and he finds that this part of the song he's truly put his heart into. He drags out the words "slowly , softly" almost lovingly, because this verse really hits home. Maybe he should have picked a different song...

__

Hold me closer tiny dancer!  
Count the headlights on the highway...  
Lay me down in sheets of linen...  
you had a busy day today!

_  
_Sakura watches shocked and slightly awed at the strong tone of Fai's voice. He's totally past noticing her standing there, as his hands frantically run up and down the piano, creating an unbelievable sound. As she slowly moves down the stairs, so as not to distract him, she thinks she sees him crying just a little, the tears splashing on the ebony surface.

Fai slows the tempo of the song to wipe his eyes. He's defiantly glad no one is hear watching; no one sees him cry. He repeats this verse over again, but he can't remember what comes after this. His memory is kind of blurry. Fai decides to switch to a different song, a song that still has a similar sound.

_I cant light no more of your darkness  
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white  
Im growing tired and time stands still before me  
Frozen here on the ladder of my life_

Sakura is standing no more than ten feet away from the piano now. She hears the change in tune, and the more desperate lyrics, which sadly seem to fit Fai even more. She does know exactly how true these lyrics are...

_Its much too late to save myself from falling  
I took a chance and changed your way of life  
But you misread my meaning when I met you  
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light_

Fai struggles through the lyrics, and he sings louder, plays harder, than ever before. It's a wonder that no one else is awake by now. And a good thing for Fai, because by the end of the next verse he's totally lost it.

_Don't let the sun go down on me  
Although I search myself, its always someone else I see  
Id just allow a fragment of your life to wander free  
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me_

Sakura can't take this any more. Fai's shaking so hard it looks like he'll fall off the stool. She knows that it's a sad song, and Fai has probably had an equally sad life. Sakura puts her arms around him and gives him a hug, which right now it seems like Fai needs desperately.

"Sakura-chan?..."

"Fai- san, you know that you can play with someone don't you? You don't have to sit down here and play the piano all alone. Because it seems like you've got enough to deal with anyway."

Fai can't say anything. So he just smiles, and lets silent tears run down his face; grateful that she can't see them.

Sakura sits by the piano the next day, holding a few sheets of paper. Fai is sitting behind the piano with a patient smile in the middle of the empty café, as sunlight streams through the windows.

"Alright," says Sakura, "I've got it!" she looks again over the lyrics that fai made up. They seem a little sad, but otherwise perfectly suited to her voice. (Although she is quite amazed that he made them up in one day)

The piano begins to play the intro; softly, slowly, setting the tone for the song.

_Spend all your time waiting,  
For that second chance-  
For a break that would make it okay.  
There's always one reason  
To feel not good enough  
And it's hard at the end of the day.  
I need some distraction--  
Oh beautiful release.  
Memory seeps from my veins  
Let me be empty  
And weightless and maybe  
I'll find some peace tonight..._

Sakura's voice is light, and sometimes seems to barely scrape over the note. But that just makes the song all the more beautiful, because Sakura's pure voice is enchanting just to listen to. Mokona sways back and forth silently, humming. While Fai continues to play ; just enough as to not overbear, but enough to give the song a quiet beauty. __

In the arms of an angel...  
Fly away from here  
From this dark cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear

dammit! Sakura mentally swears, I promised myself I wasn't going to cry... hold it together...

_You are pulled from the wreckage  
Of your silent reverie  
You're in the arms of the angelMay you find some comfort there..._

She stretches out "find" to about three syllables, as the song ends. There's more to the song, but Sakura is silently crying, Mokona is clapping and whistling, and even Fai is wiping his eyes.

"_Sometime it's a sad song!_" sings Mokona, as it jumps on Sakura, and she smiles.


End file.
